But was A498 an L39A1, or an identical 7.62mm CONV also built in 1970? Perhaps they were both regarded as "L39A1s" for the purposes of "the system"?
My 1970 "A498" has clearly been accepted into the military system, so the there would have been two A498s at if it also had an L39 brother built at the same time.
I still reckon we won't see an L39 and a 7.62mm CONV with the same number, but it would be nice to prove it one or the other!
Interesting that the top Envoy was 526; the 400s/500s seem to be very scarce on the ground. I'll ask to have a look at Fultons book and see if all these rifles ended up in circulation.